Apparatus for electrically winding up driving-springs.



No. 700,597. Patented May 20, I902.

' H. ARON.

APPARATUS FOR ELEGTRICALLY WINDING UP DRIVING SPRINGS.

(Agylication filed Feb. 20, 1902.)

2 ShaeIr-Shaet I.

(No Model.)

- No. 700,597. Patented May 20, I902.

H. ARON. APPARATUS FOR ELEGTRIGALLY WINDING UP DRIVING SPRINGS.

(Application filed 1M. 20, 1902.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Model.)

UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ITERMANN ARON, OF CIIARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICALLY WlNDlNG UP DRlVlNG-SPRlNGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,597, dated May 20, 1902.

Application filed February 20, 1902. Serial No. 94,899. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMANN ARON, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at No. 39 lVilmersdorferstrasse, Charlottenburg, in the Kingdom of Prussia,

German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Electrically Winding up Drivin g Sprin gs, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Germany, dated July 2, 1901, Serial 4o tween the poles of the" magnet.

No. A 8,196,) of which the following is a speci fication.

My invention relates to apparatus for electrically winding up driving-springs for clockwork, electric meters, and similar instruments, and particularly to that class of devices in which the driving-spring serves as a part of the electric circuit. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a device for electrically winding up a driving-spring, the working parts being shown in one extreme position; and Fig. 2 is a corresponding front elevation showing the working parts in their opposite extreme position. of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 4. is a front elevation of part of a device embodying a modification of the construction of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and showing the essential parts in one extreme position. Fig. 5 is a corresponding front elevation showing the essential parts in the opposite extreme position. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the construction of Figs. 4. and 5.

Referring to the drawings, a denotes a horseshoe-magnet provided with a coil q, and l) is a swinging armature pivotally mounted on the shaft 0, to which is fixed a ratchetwheel 0, said armature being movable be- The armature b is provided with a spring-pressed driving-pawl Z) and with an arm b and to said arm is connected one end of the drivingspring 3, the other end of said spring being connected to the frame, which is stationary with the magnet. A tilting device or lever is pivoted at t' to the frame and comprises the arms is and Z, between which is a pin or stud h on the arm b movable with the armature b. The arm 715 of the tilting device or lever Fig. 3 is a side elevation is of conducting material, as is also the pin 72 and arm b and to which arm the drivingspring .9 is electrically connected, said spring also forming part of the circuit for the electric current. The arm 7:: may be provided with a conducting contact-plate h to bear against the pin or stud h. The tilting device or lever comprising the arms 75 Z is controlled bya spring m, one end of which is attached to a stationary pin m on the frame of the structure and the other or free end of which is attached to a pin m on the tilting device or lever above the pivot i of the latter, so'that said spring serves to cause the said tilting device or lever to move quickly to one side or the other of its pivotal point 2 after said spring has in the movement of said tilting devicein either direction passed the dead-center or position of equilibrium represented by the pivotal point t. The arm I of the tilting device is of insulating material, so that when the pin 7b is in contact with said arm Z the circuit will be open and the current interrupted; but when the said pin 76 is in contact with the arm 7:. the circuit will be closed. The swinging armature is provided with a pin t, which is arranged to engage an insulating-block c on the arm for the purpose of insuring a proper movement of the tilting device or lever in case the spring on should fail to properly control its tilting movement in such a manner as to cause the conducting-arm 7a to come in contact with the pin h.

The operation of the construction thus far described is as follows: hen the conducting-arm 7a of the tilting device or lever is forced into contact with the pin h, the circuit is closed and the magnet is energized in such a manner as to suddenly swing the armature b from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby winding up the driving-spring s or putting the same under tension. in this'su'dden swinging movement of the armature t0 the left, Fig. 1, the pin 71,, movable therewith, will cause the tilting device to move toward the position shown in Fig. 2 until the point of attachment of the spring on with the tilting device passes by the pivotal point i of the said tilting deshown in Fig. 2

vice, when the said spring will cause the said tilting device to suddenly change its position, so as to free the conducting-arm from contact with the pin 72/, thereby breaking or opening the circuit. The force of the drivingspring 3 will nowbe utilized to drive the clockwork connected with the shaft 0 by reason of the fact that the tension of said spring will be exerted through the arm b fixed with relation to the armature b, causing the pawl 12 on the armature to drive the ratctet-wheel c and the clockwork operated from the shaft 0, with which said ratchet-wh eel is connected, so long as the tension of the spring 5 is suffrcient to effect this result. As the'armature I) slowly swings from the position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 1 under the stress of the driving-spring s the pin 7i, moving with said armature and in contact with the insulated arm lot the tilting device, causes said tilting device to move toward the position shown in Fig. 1 until the free end of the spring on can pass the pivotal point i of said tilting device, when the said spring will cause the tilting device to swing suddenly into such position as to cause its conductingarm 7; to come in contact with the pin h, thereby closing the circuit and causing the armature to swing quickly back to the position and again wind up or put under tension the driving-spring s.

In the operation just described when the armature is moving from the position shown in Fig. 2 toward the position shown in Fig. 1, if, for any reason, the spring m should fail to cause said tilting device to move to a position to close the circuit, or if any sparking, which is likely to occur, tends to force the conducting-arm 7; out of contact with the pin h, and thereby open or tend to open the circuit, such a faulty or improper operation will be guarded against and prevented by the pin moving with the armature b and arranged to strike the insulating-block e on said arm 70, so as to force the said conducting-arm into contact with the pin 7L and hold it in such contact until the winding operation of the spring has been effected, the said arm 70 being at such time held strongly and steadily between the pins '6 and h.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 4-, 5, and 6 and the operation of which is the same as that of the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the arml of the tilting device is omitted and the pin tis provided with an insulating-roller 16 for .contact with the arm 7; to force the tilt-in g device over the deadcenter should the spring in fail to perform its office to this end and also serving the purpose of the non-conducting arm Zin that the said roller it serves to start the tilting device toward its position of equilibrium when the (.lriving-spring s is effecting the return movement of the armature as the spring is being unwound in driving the clockwork or performing other equivalent duty. In fact, this modified construction is preferred for some purposes, in that it is better for use in connection with high-tension currents, as in the construction of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the arm l of the forked tilting device sometimes causes said tilting device to move too quickly or sooner than it need to and causes too much sparking, while the insulating-roller u of the modified construction rolls smoothly along the arm 71:, thereby gradually forcing the sameinto aposition of equilibrium and throwing it into its opposite position as the spring m passes the pivotal point or center of motion of the tilting device or lever. In either form of the invention the tilting-device con troller, moving with the armature as the lat=- ter is returned by the driving-springand represented in one instance by the pin or studt and in the other by the roller it, is deemed important in that when the circuit is broken and the coil q cut out such a movement of the tilting device will always be insured by said controller as will cause the current to be closed and the stress of the driving-spring restored before said spring has fully lost its driving tension, and thus the clock or other device driven by said spring cannot by failure of a proper movement of the tilting device accidentally come to a full stop. Furthermore, the controlling device not only insures the closing of the circuit at the proper times, but prevents the tilting device from being thrown back by sparking in such a man nor as to break the contact between the arm 75 and the contact pin or stud h when the contact has once been effected until the tension of the driving-spring is restored by a movement of the armature when the latter is at tracted by the electromagnet I claim as my invention 1. In an apparatus for electrically winding up driving-springs, the combination with an electromagnet, of an armature arranged to swing between the n1agnet-poles,a contact pin or stud movable with said armature, a tilting device or lever making and breaking electrical contact with the said stud, a driving-spring arranged to be placed under tension by the movement of said armature when the latter is attracted by the said magnet; and a controlling device or stud, moving with said armature, for assisting the tilting mo tion of the said tilting device or lever, and for keeping the same from being thrown back by sparking, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus for electrically winding up driving-springs, the combination, with an electromagnet, of an armature arranged to swing between the magnet-poles, a contact pin or stud movable with said armature, a tilting device or lever making and breaking ice electrical contact with the said stud, a drivbeing thrown back by sparking, substantially ing-spring arranged to be placed under tenas and for the purpose set forth. I0 sion by the movement of said armature when In witness whereof I have hereunto set my the latter is attracted by said magnet, a coni hand in presence of two Witnesses.

5 trolling-stud movable with said armature, HERMANN ARON and an insulating-roller carried by said stud Witnesses: to strike the tilting lever for assisting its tilt- VVOLDEMAR HAUPT,

ing motion and for keeping the same from HENRY HASPER. 

